Morocco’s Amghar retains 10km Men’s Open title as over 3,000 compete in NAS Running Challenge

Morocco’s Hicham Amghar, the winner of the 10km Men’s Open category title in 2022, produced a dominant performance to retain the title as more than 3,000 runners of different nationalities, groups, and ages participated in the NAS Running Challenge at Meydan in Dubai on Friday.

Held under the theme ‘Limitless Abilities’ and organised by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC), the NAS Sports Tournament is the biggest event of its kind in terms of participation and prize money, and has been held every year in the Holy Month of Ramadan since 2013 at the iconic Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex.

The winners of the different categories of NAS Running Challenge were crowned Excellency Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council and Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the tournament, Nasser Aman Al Rahma, Assistant Secretary General of the Council and Vice Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the tournament, Hassan Al Mazrouei, Tournament Director, Khalid Al Awar, Director of Sports Development Department at Dubai Sports Council, and representatives of the sponsors including Al Tayer Motors, Dubai Duty Free, Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, Roads and Transport Authority, Dubai Health Authority, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, and Tadawi Medical Center.

Defending champion Amghar proved his mettle once again after finishing the race in 26 minutes, 56 seconds. Ethiopia’s Gemechu Dida finished second in 27:24, while Morocco’s Mohammed Ait Touda was third in 27:27.

Bahrain’s Ruth Danies Jebet won the Women’s Open 10km race. She blitzed through the course to finish with a time of 31:36. Ethiopia's Fanos Tekle finished second in 35:06, while Belgium's Liesbeth Verheyden came in third.

In the 10km UAE Nationals category, Mubarak Rashid Al Marashda won first place with a time of 29:46, followed by Saleh Al Suwaidi in second place, and Abdullah Sorour Juma in third place.

In the 10km UAE Nationals women’s category, Moza Al Ghafli won first place. Ruqayya Al Mazrouei finished second, and Hana Al Nabulsi was third.

In the Men's Open 5km category, Saudi Arabia's Wissam Al Farsi claimed the top spot, followed by Uganda's Julius Kaisanko in second place and Kenya's Dennis Nyakonde in third place.

In the Women's Open 5km category, the Czech Republic’s Katerina Machova took top honors. Russia's Petrova Alisa finished second, while Poland's Emilia Manglinan came third.

In the 5km men's Emirati category, Mahmoud Al Naqbi won first place, followed by Salah Issa Al Hammadi in second, and Khalifa Al Sharqi in third.

In the 5km women’s Emirati category race, Hessa Al Jassmi won first place, followed by Fatima Juma in second place, and Alia Al Shamsi in third place.

In the 5km Men's Open category, France's Jean-Claude won first place, followed by Morocco's Mubarak Rihan in second place, and compatriot Mohamed Maroni in third.

In the 5km Women's Open category, France's Latifa Al Saroukh finished on top. Colombia's Liliana Urguilla settled for second place, and Britain's Annie Marie came in third.

In the 4km youth category, Emirati Abdul Latif Al Sabri won first place, followed by Saif Naseer in second place, and Ali Al Ketbi in third place.

In the 4km youth category, Tanzania's Alia Abdul Aleem won first place, followed by her sister Amira Abdul Alim, and Emirati Shouq Al Balushi in third place.

In the 4km boys' junior category, Austria's Max Hohen won first place, followed by the UAE’s Hamdan Al Muqbali in second place, and Yarub Naseer Al Yarubi in third place.

Bidding to win the inaugural NAS International Padel Championship title, the UAE national team stormed into the final after their 2-0 win over Iran. They will meet Qatar in the final.

Abdullah Al-Abdullah and Faris Al-Janahi won the opening set 6-0 and 6-4 to give the hosts a perfect start. Later, Abdullah Ahli and Omar Bahrozian defeated Farsad Shahi and Miziar Yavari 6-4 and 6-3 to secure their team’s ticket for the final.

In the other semi-final, Qatar defeated Egypt 2-0. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Mohammed Al-Kuwari battled past Omar Sabri and Ely Ehab Shokeir 6-1, 4-6, 6-0 to put Qatar ahead. Later, Mohammed Al-Khanji and Mohammed Abdullah beat Thamer Hanna and Youssef Hossam 6-3, 7-6, 7-5 in the second set.

Elsewhere, Dubai Police General Command defeated the RTA team 32-20 to reach the final of Wheelchair Basketball Championship.

In another semi-final, Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services beat Al Bustan Center 28–26. The championship final will take place at the NAS Sports Complex.

Majid Al-Osaimi, Executive Director of the Dubai Club for People of Determination and Chairman of the Asian Paralympic Committee, lauded His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, for his support to promote sports.

He also praised Sheikh Hamdan for the inclusion of people of determination and their integration into the NAS Sports Tournament.

Dubai Club for People of Determination trainee Jamal Al Bedwawi, representing the Dubai Police General Command team, was thrilled to reach the finals of the Nad Al Sheba Sports Tournament and said that defence and teamwork will be the keys for his team on its way to lifting the coveted Wheelchair Basketball Championship title.

"Our defense will be the main concern. If the team works together to achieve the goal, we will succeed since we have some powerful players on the team. Our aim is to take home the gold," Bedwawi said.